


String theory

by Lorz



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: And love, F/M, Gen, M/M, and gay love bc you gotta love it, but also angst, lots of love, possibly some humour, prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2013-09-15
Packaged: 2017-11-23 01:38:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/616634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorz/pseuds/Lorz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: AU idea where Scott (or Stiles) gets into some sort of accident and then when he wakes up he sees all these red strings attached to peoples' wrists. He's got one too and so he decides to follow it and ends up realizing it connects people to their soulmate, only his soulmates is already dating someone else so he has to try and get him and his soulmate together while getting other people together as well because everyone is dating the wrong person.  From http://minibinny.tumblr.com/</p>
<p>
  <i>However, as he reached he saw a bright red string attached to his wrist as well.</i>
  <br/><i>As he pulled it shorter and shorter he scrunched his face up (Alison had always found it cute, simply because it was unintentional) until it finally came to an end. </i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The theory

When Scott awoke, he knew instantly where he was. He wasn't stupid (regardless of how it appeared at times), so he knew that he was in the hospital. Which was, you know, pretty reasonable considering that his mom had only worked there for the past ten years or so. What wasn't quite as reasonable about it was that Scott had no reason to be in a _hospital bed_. He remembered being hit over the head, but that still shouldn't have landed him in a hospital bed. He was a frickin’ werewolf and as much as he hated the fact that he was, the whole quick healing thing was kind of one of the perks that he actually enjoyed!

Which brought him back to why he was in a hospital bed. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he looked around his room for someone that could explain. There was always someone there in the movies when the character woke up from the coma and his life might as well be one of those science fiction movies that he and Stiles watched growing up, what with the whole lycanthropy thing. Now however, his hypothesis of merely living out a script failed and he was alone. Well versed in certain things in hospitals (hello, his mother had been working as a nurse for like ten years now), Scott picked up the bright red button beside his bed and pressed it. 

Almost instantly alarms started to sound, and he could hear someone running. The first one to enter the room was one of the nurses his mom was on a fairly friendly basis with – she had been over for lunch a few times though her name escaped Scott at the moment. While she looked shocked to see him awake, Scott focused more on his mother – the second person to enter the room. While her friend had stopped to stare at him, his mother didn't, instead rushing up to hug him before checking the IV line in his wrist along with other things. 

Scott’s eyes were distracted by something else though, and he could tell his mother noticed because she began to question him and check his awareness levels. He rolled his eyes before returning them to the string that had captured his attention. 

“Mom, I’m fine. President’s Obama, secretary of state is… um, well I dunno. I broke my arm when I was six building a tree house with Stiles and my middle name is John because Dad was a dick that wanted me named after him since “he made me”. Happy?”

He smiled crookedly at her even though he was still distracted. Why on Earth did she have a string on her wrist? It wasn't a bracelet – he could see it trailed a long distance behind her. He reached out to touch it as she muttered that no she wasn't happy because he’d just woken from a coma of two weeks (Scott was distracted enough to ignore that tidbit of information until later) and the doctor was on his way. However, as he reached he saw a bright red string attached to his wrist as well, and it was just as long as his mother’s one. It was a different shade of red than his mother’s one – closer to the one he had just noticed on the other nurse’s (who had just decided to actually do her job) wrist. 

Confused, he looked up to see all three trail out the door. Practically launching himself off of his hospital bed (he felt fine, why on Earth had he been there?) he picked his string up in his hand and began to follow it. Prepared to gather it up in his hand as he went, he was shocked to discover that he had no need to do so – it seemed to shorten as he followed it. The shouts of his mother behind him alerted him to the fact he was going to get chewed out later, but he didn't care. Stiles had always been pegged as the curious one out of the two of them but Scott was just as bad sometimes. 

As he followed the string, he passed other members of staff in the hospital, patients and visitors. Each of them had strings too, and it was when he passed a little girl playing in front of her parents that he stopped. The little girl’s string seemed to have no end but the two adults sitting above her shared one. It was connecting the two of them, even though neither seemed aware and when the woman moved to the right it seemed to stretch to accommodate the larger space between them almost as though it was signalling their relationship. Perplexed, Scott watched for a few seconds until he saw his mother approaching from the other side of the hallway. Obviously she had come to badger him until he returned to his “sick bed” so he discarded thoughts of what the string might mean (though he a plausible idea forming in his mind).

Quickly he began to follow his string again, pushing through the double doors to the waiting room when he reached them. Behind them lay what could pass for a pack meeting, though most of them were alert (having heard him coming) and others (human) were either sleeping (Lydia) or alert as Stiles was. Each of them had strings attached to their wrists as well, but Scott hadn't seen any trailing out of the room. His seconds old theory was beginning to solidify in his mind, though he still doubted himself. Once again finding himself confused, Scott ignored the shouts of “he’s awake”, “someone could have told us” and “Scott!” in order to find where his string ended. He wanted to find who was at the end of his because the theory he was working with was that it was his soul mate. As he pulled it shorter and shorter he scrunched his face up (Alison had always found it cute, simply because it was unintentional) until it finally came to an end. 

At Isaac’s wrist.


	2. Chapter one: Options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter one served on plate. Lemme know what you guys think! Also, don't get mad at me for Peter?

“Scott, what are you doing?”

It didn’t take much for Scott to realize that Isaac couldn’t see the string connected to his wrist. From the looks on his friends’ faces, none of them could see them either. His mother entered the waiting room behind him, and he took a step back from Isaac. The thought that he was in shock entered his head, and he acknowledged that it was viable. If his theory was true – and he was sure it was because… well, he just was – then Isaac was his soul mate. 

Not Allison as he had believed since the day he had met the girl but Isaac. Isaac who was his friend, his pack mate. Isaac who was most definitely not gay. How the hell did that work? Scott wasn’t exactly the gayest cherub in the playground either, but at least he had gone there before. Sure, it had only been once but still. Stiles was a guy, Scott was a guy and kissing counted in his book. Even if they had messed it up….

Isaac who had a girlfriend. A scary ass girlfriend named Erica who could kick his ass and who was also Scott’s friend and pack mate. The teenage wolf didn’t even know what to think, let alone do. He had just discovered he was connected to someone who was very important to him – Isaac had had it hard and Scott had made it his mission to help the other wolf out – and he had absolutely no idea as to what he was going to do about. He was stuck between… hell, he didn’t even know what he was stick between. He couldn’t even think straight enough to register the fact that he had options, because he didn’t know what those options were or how viable they were or if they were stupid or if Stiles would tell him they were stupid or – 

It was at that moment that Scott registered the fact that he was actually freaking out. Inwardly freaking out, but still freaking out. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was now a werewolf he knew he would be having an asthma attack and instinct and muscle memory dictated that his hand moved to where his hoody pocket would be (if he was wearing one) to grab it. 

This was, of course, a movement that his mother recognized and interpreted correctly. He never had been able to hide them from her. 

“Scott McCall, if you need your inhaler you had better take it right damn now or I will set every doctor I know in this hospital on you and you won’t leave for at least a week.”

He could tell she meant business by the way she was glaring at him, and he smiled in an attempt to save her. Scott hadn’t exactly explained everything that being a wolf meant to her, too afraid that she would start avoiding him again to even attempt it so she didn’t know that his asthma was gone. 

“Mom, I don’t need it, promise. If I would I’d take it. You know I would.”  
It occurred to Scott that Stiles was silent for once, as he hadn’t heard him start blabbing yet. His best friend usually never shut up, but he hadn’t heard him say a word. It was a foreign situation, Stiles not speaking. Usually he never shut up. Scott resisted the urge to search for best friend among the sea of pack in the room. He was still freaking out inwardly anyway, and if anyone would be able to tell that he was it would Stiles, so not making eye contact was probably a good thing. 

Peter stepped out from behind Isaac (and if Scott still disliked that man, resurrection or no resurrection then it was his prerogative) and placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. It didn’t work, but Scott resisted the urge to shove it away simply because of his mother’s presence. One glance at Peter’s wrist to see where his string led had Scott shocked because it didn’t led anywhere.

It ended. The end of Peter’s string looked as though it had been ripped apart, and it had threads dangling there with nothing to connect to. Everyone else was connected to someone else, but Peter’s string… Peter’s string wasn’t. It was connected to him and that was it. There was no one at the end of it for him, and Scott didn’t understand why. Surely Peter had to be connected to someone too? 

“Scott. Scott, you need to go back to the room so that the doctor can check you out. Your friends have been here every day for the past two weeks, I’m sure they can wait a few more hours. “

Erica skirting to her boyfriend’s side was the image that Scott could see in his peripheral vision, and he automatically turned his head towards the movement. He was used to Erica and Isaac hanging off of each other – they had been dating for six months now and Erica wasn’t shy about her affections. Isaac was a little quieter about them, but Scott could see the affection he felt for her in his eyes. The two of them deserved to be happy so when they had got together he’d slapped Isaac on the back and told him congratulations just like everyone else. He had meant it too, even if he had felt weird about it for some reason. 

Maybe now he knew why he’d felt weird. If his string theory was right. 

The two of them were happy together. They were absolutely besotted. Why was Isaac connected to Scott then? If he was in love with Erica and Erica was in love with him then it made no sense. It occurred to Scott that maybe the strings were possibilities. Maybe you could be connected to more than person. 

A quick glance at Erica’s wrist dismissed that thought. The two were holding hands, but there was no string connecting them. Scott’s eyes followed Erica’s string, ignoring his mother as she hugged him and then asked him again to go back to his room. It didn’t take long to reach the end of Erica’s string either, as within mere seconds Scott was looking at another wrist. One that unmistakably belonged to Boyd, who was watching him with a hint of confusion on his face. 

Scott didn’t register the fact that all of his friends were watching him. He was still in shock over the whole being connected to Isaac thing and Erica being connected to Boyd and Boyd being connected to Erica and he was connected to frickin’ Isaac and he didn’t know what to do and he was in hospital. Why was in he in hospital again? What had happened to say he had landed in a hospital bed for, what was it his mother had said? Two weeks? Yeah, Scott was pretty sure that it was two weeks. So yeah, what could have happened to put a teenage werewolf in the hospital for two weeks and then enable him to see strings when he awoke? Red strings, too. Scott wondered why they were red. 

Red was a romantic colour… maybe someone else had seen the strings before and decided to associate the colour with love? Or maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe he was just going crazy. He didn’t think he was going crazy. If being friends with someone as mad as Stiles for over a decade hadn’t got him there, then he doubted getting hit on the head was going to do it for him. He really had too many problems in his life. Asthmatic and unpopular, then had bitten by a werewolf, then he had fallen in love with a werewolf hunter, broken up with said werewolf hunter and voila, now he could see strings. Red strings. That connected people to their soul mate. 

What was he going to do? How was he supposed to deal with… whatever this was? Would he be better off just leaving things be and ignoring what was happening? There was always the possibility that it was brain damage but somehow he doubted it. Derek had explained (for once) that since Peter had experienced mental trauma he hadn’t been able to heal but that didn’t apply to Scott. Walking in on Stiles and Danny doing stuff with tongues and other appendages had definitely caused him mental scarring but Scott was pretty sure that that kind of thinking was the category that would cause Stiles to give him the “don’t be so dumb, Scott” look. So yeah, he was ruling out it being a hallucination because of the whole wolf thing which meant that it was real. So was he to ignore the people who had chosen wrong or was he to fix them?


	3. Chapter two: Ah fuck

Later, after Scott had been checked by at least a dozen doctors (no exaggeration, he hadn’t even been aware Beacon Hills needed twelve doctors), he was finally discharged. All of the doctors were confused, his mother was worried and Scott was anxious to finally leave. They couldn’t find anything wrong with him, and there wasn’t even a mark on him for them to use as an excuse to keep him overnight. 

He was sure that it was unusual to be released so soon after being in a coma (their words, not his) but they had no medical reason to keep him in. They hadn’t been able to explain why he had fallen into a coma in the first place, because he had possessed no wounds so now there was no excuse for him to stay. The doctors wanted him to come back for a check-up, and had already made him an appointment but he would just have to figure a way out of it. Wasting time was the only thing that would be achieved if he went. 

The first thing that he did once he had been granted his freedom was pay a visit to Deaton. His boss had been one of the few people to be awaiting him in the hospital (even Lydia and Jackson had, though the latter was more shocking than the former) and he wanted to talk to him. Deaton still denied that he was “magic” (as Stiles’ put it) but Scott was still sure that he would be able to help. Or at least listen to him. Stiles was usually his go to buddy for any and all information need, but Stiles was still recovering from his best friend being in hospital. 

Scott was more than well aware of why Stiles disliked the people he loved being in hospital so much. 

Deaton was treating a cat when he arrived, so Scott stayed back. He didn’t deal with the feline section of the animal practice anymore. It was a bother at times, but it stopped the cats from being as stressed out as they were when he was present. 

“Scott, I was expecting you.”

Scott wasn’t surprised by that, either. Deaton always seemed to be ahead of them. 

“Stiles can’t know, because Stiles- well, Stiles is stressed and I’d be a shitty best friend and Deaton, I don’t know what’s happening and I don’t know what to do – or even if I’m supposed to do something! There’s these strings, and they’re connecting people, except Peter – he’s got no string, it’s weird – but I think maybe they’re soul mate strings? That’s my theory – string theory, huh, Stiles would find that funny. Maybe, it’s crazy and I could be mad but his died in the fire so I don’t know, maybe I’m right? Or mad. I could be mad. Oh my God, I’m mad, aren’t I? Whatever put me in the hospital fucked me up. I’m crazy, don’t let me do a Peter, please don’t let me do a – “

“Scott, calm down.”

The young werewolf stopped himself, breathing heavily. Deaton appeared to be looking at him with amusement in his eyes, and Scott blushed slightly as he realized that he had rambled again. Stiles was usually the one out of the pair of them that wouldn’t shut up, but Scott was well aware that he was just as bad when he got going. The teenager murmured an apology, and listened as Deaton explained why he had been expecting him. 

“I had a visit from Ms. Morrell less than an hour ago. She recently met a witch who kept talking about granting a wolf a gift that he would need to “complete all five”. I assumed one of you would be showing up soon enough, but I already sent a message to Isaac. He should be here in the next hour. Now, explain what you mean by this theory you have – strings, is it?”

So Scott did. He poured out everything that had happened since he had woken up in the hospital. The red strings hanging off the wrist of every person that he saw, the fact that they connected one person to another, even the small fact that they shortened the closer that you go to someone and that he had followed his– everything. Except exactly who was at the end of his string. Or who’s string he was on the end of. Both applied, he guessed. 

The look that Deaton directed towards him revealed that he was aware what significant fact Scott was leaving out, but he ignored it and moved on. 

“I’ve never heard of anything like this before. Strings connecting everyone seems like an impossibility but if that is what it appears to be to you then they must not be fully corporeal unless you want to touch them – and you would still be the only one that this affects since no one else has the ability to see them. It is of the utmost peculiarity, Scott. However, I do think that you are correct. Your “string theory” as you put it, it seems right. They show our soul mates and from what you told me of Peter’s string’s fate… there is only one. Peter’s wife died in the fire, so he no longer has someone to connect to. “

During the pause that his boss took, Scott tried to consider the implications of the fact that Peter had lost the one person that was supposed to fully complete him. He had seen what break ups could do to people – had experienced it both through his relationship with Allison and through his parents’ divorce. 

The thought that it was now possible for him to check whether or not his parents had been supposed to break up occurred to Scott, and he entertained the idea for a few seconds before scrapping it. He had more important things to figure out first, like how the hell he could stop seeing things that others couldn't. 

“I would assume she granted you the gift for a reason. Perhaps something to do with completing the five she mentioned? I’m not sure what she could have meant by that. Complete implies something’s missing, but I’m not sure what. “

Scott was only half listening to Deaton – the man was merely thinking aloud anyway, and most of the time when Scott tried to help Stiles work things out he got the whole “not going to call you stupid, but I’m thinking it” look that he had received many times. He hated that look. Scott wasn’t stupid, his grades had dropped since Peter had bitten him, yes but they were rising again now. He just… didn’t pay attention to conversations sometimes. However, even though he was only half listening, what Deaton said about completing something made sense. 

“So almost like a pair or a set of something, or finishing a job right? Two makes a couple, maybe a pair means two soul mates? Like Lydia and Jackson, because they were connected and they’re together. Or like me and Isaac –“

“What about you and me?”

Scott slammed his mouth shut as he realised what he had said, and glanced at Deaton who seemed mildly shocked. The vet didn’t pause for long though, and responded to Isaac as Scott turned around to face his fellow pack member. 

“Scott was merely talking about how different members of the pack handled their transitions differently. His grades dropped, you excelled it in school. It’s remarkable how each of us react to situations differently. Truly remarkable.”

Isaac seemed bemused, but Scott was just glad that he stopped asking questions. He didn’t really want to stick around for Deaton explaining to Isaac why he had text him. He had already got Scott out of explaining what he had been talking about, so Scott was pretty sure that it was safe to assume he was going to tell him as little as possible about what had happened. 

“I have to head, my mom’s gonna flip her shit if I stay out too long. She’s overprotective at the moment. “

“Sure, Scott. “

Isaac placed an encouraging hand on Scott’s shoulder and smiled down at him. Scott wondered what it would be like to be kiss someone taller than him. 

He needed to go. Just because a string stretched between the two of their wrists (Scott could see it now, short and barely existent between the two of them) didn’t mean he had to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Even if he was curious about it. 

“Just glad to have you back, you had us all worried.”

Scott smiled back half – heartedly and then waved a good bye in Deaton’s direction. 

“See ya later, if my mom lets me out again. “

He set off on foot – he hadn’t bothered with his bike on the way over to the practice, too much hassle and strolled through the alley behind “SuperKing’s” to cut five minutes off his journey. Walking out the other side, Scott paused, a car parked at the edge of “Superking’s” car park catching his eye. He was pretty sure that it was Danny’s car and he glanced at the plates just to make sure that it is. There was no need for him to do so because he could see Danny sitting in the driver seat now. Jackson’s best friend – and Stiles’ boyfriend (yeah, Scott hadn’t been shocked by the whole into guys thing because “am I attractive to gay guys?” didn’t even count as subliminal messaging) was arguing with some other boy who was in the passenger seat.

Now sure that he was right in his judgement, Scott went to move forward and check that Danny was ok only to be stopped in his tracks by what the argument evolved into. Instead of storming out of the car or kicking the other boy out, Danny leaned forward and pressed his lips against the other boy’s lips. Danny’s hands came to rest behind the other boy, one on his neck and one behind his head. The other boy raised a hand to grab Danny’s shirt. 

Scott knew who Danny’s soul mate was now. It was evident in the tiny string that connect him and the boy he was kissing – who was most certainly not his boyfriend, Stiles Stilinski.


	4. Chapter three: Humiliating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken keyboards do not mean well for writing fanfic.... sorry! Also, I have a beta now, thanks, fineassdwarves! I will try and write some more tomorrow, I promise.

Scott wasn’t sure what to do. His best friend’s boyfriend had just made out with someone else, and Scott was extremely angry that Danny had dared to treat Stiles that way. On the other hand, the guy was apparently Danny’s soul mate. The young werewolf was used to situations where he didn’t know what to do by now, but this was by far one of the worst predicaments that he had ever found himself in. 

He still hadn’t moved from the spot that he was standing in when Danny looked up and saw him. The other boy seemed to realise instantly what Scott had just seen, and fumbled to rush out of the car. Scott began to shake his head and walked towards the lacrosse goalie with a scowl on his face.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Danny? Have you forgotten that you have a boyfriend? I swear-“

“Scott, we broke up. Look, you’ve been in a coma for two weeks and stuff happened, okay? I know it must be weird to you but Stiles and I… we’ve talked this through. I don’t know why Jack is so perfect for me, but we just fit together. I swear, I didn’t cheat on Stiles, c’mon you think Sheriff Stilinski woulda left me standing if I had?”

Danny’s interruption forced Scott to stop and listen, and the teenager’s heightened senses didn’t hear the guy that Scott assumed was Jack leave the car and approach them. The tall brunet seemed to be cautious, and had obviously heard Scott yelling. 

“Babe, everything okay?” 

Danny seemed to be waiting for Scott’s agreement before answering, so Scott nodded an affirmative, and then ran a hand through his hair before apologizing.

“Look, I wasn’t told. I thought you were hurting Stiles, and all this weird stuffs happening and I- look, I’m sorry. I’m just gonna head home, okay? Enjoy your… date or whatever.”

Before Scott could turn to leave, Danny grabbed his forearm and offered him a lift home. Jack didn’t seem to be as determined as Danny to make sure Scott got home, but he didn’t argue with the goalie. Scott agreed and thanked him, and the three of them began to walk towards the car. The red string that extended between Jack and Danny dragged on the ground as Scott walked between them, not touching the werewolf at all.

However, when Scott to climb in the back seat, he learned that his assumption that strings couldn’t touch them unless he picked them up with his hands was wrong, as the second he went to walk through the string he promptly tripped over it and hit the gravel with a thud.

“Ow…..”

The groan he emitted was drawn out and he grew even more embarrassed when he saw Danny trying not to laugh. The goalie’s new boyfriend wasn’t as nice, and Scott was pretty sure his laughter could be heard a dozen blocks away. Scott didn’t speak much to Danny’s new boyfriend throughout the car ride, and the few times that he did converse with him Scott resisted the urge to be as much of a dickhead back to Jack as Jack was to him. He was abrupt and lofty, as though he considered himself better than Scott, and the beta didn’t like him. Thankfully he wasn’t in the car with him for that long, and once Danny dropped Scott off outside of his house he was able to escape Jack’s company.

His mother immediately appeared at the door once she realised he was outside, and Scott was so busy smiling and waving hello to his mother that he was not watching his feet and was confused when he was once again tripped. He turned himself over at a human rate to check what had tripped him, and was once again shocked to see that it was a string. A dark one, just like Danny and Jack’s string, and the couple in the hospital as well as both the doctor’s one and the nurse’s string. 

It was tangled around his ankles, and Scott rushed to untangle it before his mother reached him. He could hear her rushing towards him, and could also hear his neighbour, Mrs Murphy enquiring if he was okay. He succeeded in untangling it quickly enough and stood up just as Melissa McCall reached him. A quick glance showed that the string he had tripped over was that of Mrs Murphy who was trimming shrubbery and Mr Murphy, who was approaching from Scott’s right, obviously returning from walking their dog.

It was a humiliating moment for someone who had grown used to quick and near perfect reactions, but it wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as later on that night when Scott snuck out to go see Derek. Scott needed Derek’s help. The Alpha wasn’t Scott’s alpha, but he was a born werewolf. There was a chance that he knew something about Scott’s string theory, and Scott was growing more and more curious about it. He was also growing sick of tripping over peoples’ strings.

Scott walked into Derek’s new loft to hear “Tonight” by John Legend blasting out of the radio and to see a near naked Peter (boxers only) kissing a woman against a pillar there, with Derek nowhere in sight.

That moment was a traumatising moment that Scott would remember for ever, but even worse had been the drunken introduction the woman had attempted.

“Hello sweet - - swe – sweetcheeks! M-m-m-m-my name’s Annie, and we’re tiny teensy little bit busy. Come back later for your turn.”

Scott hadn’t hesitated before walking back out the door, holding his breath to try and prevent his nose from smelling the stink of vodka in the room. Russian vodka, if the empty bottle by the door was any indication.


	5. Chapter four: Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have not been able to get a hold of my beta to check this, so I will upload the edited version when I do.

Scott wasn’t quite sure what had happened in Derek’s apartment, however he decided that it would be wiser if he didn’t look into it more. Peter creeped him out enough as it was, without Scot delving into his sexual escapades as well. He ran home quickly, having decided that waiting outside Derek’s apartment for him wasn’t such a good idea. He used his front door key to let himself into his house, having checked the time and ensuring that his mother would be gone all night. He didn’t want her to molly coddle him anymore than she already had. 

He threw his keys into the bowl beside the front door and slowly walked up the stairs to his bedroom. The image of Peter and the woman that he had had with him were still stuck in Scott’s head, and the young beta wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to get them out of his mind. He allowed a bit of his inner drama queen to escape when he thought to himself that he had been traumatised by the experience, and that even if he scrubbed his brain clean he was pretty sure the image would remain. Seeing people he actually liked in positions like that was something that Scott had placed on his avoid if at all possible list, and seeing Peter like that had just been downright disturbing. 

Scott immediately wolfed out when he opened his bedroom door and saw someone sitting on his bed. It took a moment for him to register the fact that it was just Isaac and not an enemy. He calmed himself and reverted back to his human state, with his eyes being the last thing to change back. The other beta was sitting calmly on Scott’s bed, almost as if he had every right in the world to be there. Scott supposed that there was no reason that he shouldn’t be there, but in light of recent information, Scott’s mind was going somewhere other than “friend visiting” mode. And that somewhere was a place Scott’s mind had never quite gone before. 

The teenage werewolf swallowed and attempted to clear his mind of the images filling it, and instead focused on the red string connecting him to Isaac. That however was not the best idea in the world, because Scott then began to think about how his soul mate was apparently his friend Isaac, who was currently dating his other friend Erica. Isaac and Erica. Isaac and Erica who really, really cared about each other and hell, they might even be in love. 

Thinking about the situation only made Scott feel even worse, and he quickly came to the decision that he wasn’t going to listen to a stupid string. He had never felt attracted to Isaac before finding out that a string connected them, so why on Earth would it affect him now? It wouldn’t change their relationship, because Scott wouldn’t allow it to do that. Besides neither he nor Isaac were actually gay or bisexual, which made the string theory null and void. 

Or at least Scott didn’t think either of them were. 

“Thought I’d drop by and see what you thought of the complete the five thing… sorry to give you a fright.”

Isaac smirked, and Scott almost groaned because damn if that didn’t make the other boy look sexy as fuck. Which was not a thought Scott had just had, nope no it wasn’t. Scott moved a few steps further into his bedroom, and watched as the string connecting him and Isaac grew shorter. Isaac straightened his back and waited for an answer, which Scott hurried to provide. 

“I’m not sure. I mean, I guess we’re going to have to figure out what completing the five means and I dunno, complete them. No idea as to what they could actually be though. “

Scott lied through his teeth, unwilling to explain his theory that the five were couples, and that he and Isaac were one out of the five. There had to be another to sort this out, telling Isaac wasn’t necessary. The other werewolf was happy with Erica, and Scott wasn’t going to jeopardise that because of some stupid string theory. He hoped that Isaac wouldn’t pick up on the lies, but was pretty sure that the other beta had picked up on something being amiss by the look that Isaac was giving him. Luckily the other wolf didn’t say anything though, and Scott breathed a small sigh of relief when he wasn’t pressed for answers. 

“Hmm yeah I guess so. Scott, - I, look sorry to disturb you. I just thought I’d pop by to see if there was anything else you had thought of that you hadn’t said in front of Deaton for some reason. Erica told me I was wasting my time, but I didn’t listen… probably be getting the cold shoulder for at least a day now since I turned down alone time with her.”

Scott nodded and tried to give Isaac a normal smile as the other boy spoke. He tried to ignore the pang of jealousy and annoyance that sprung up inside him at the mention of Erica and Isaac having alone time together, and when that failed he told himself that he was being stupid. Of course the two werewolves were allowed to have sex, they were dating for fuck’s sake! They were both old enough to decide what to do with their bodies, and Scott most certainly did not have any claim over what Isaac got to do with his body. He didn’t own the other boy, and so Isaac could do whatever he wanted. 

No matter how much the thought of Isaac having sex with Erica didn’t sit right in Scott’s stomach. 

Isaac was still watching Scott when the new werewolf climbed off Scott’s bed and ran a hand through his hair. 

“I’ll see you in school, Scott. I better go and start my grovelling, if you catch my drift.”

He threw Scott another easy smile, and Scott couldn’t help return it. And if his eyes drifted down to glance at Isaac’s lips… well, that was no one’s business but his own. 

Afterwards when Scott was on his own, he attempted to tackle the pile of homework that he had to catch up on. His mind was elsewhere, and he definitely wasn’t going to be getting an A on any of his homework, but at least it was completed. He had about half of it done by now, since Stiles had helped him out. His best friend was a complete and utter genius. Also a complete and utter idiot since he hadn’t told Scott that he had broken up with his boyfriend, but still, a genius in other regards. He was also currently walking up Scott’s stairs. 

Scott had never met someone who made as much noise as Stiles did. The other boy never seemed to have a quiet moment in his life, and Scott was pretty sure that it wasn’t just the ADHD that made him that way. A quiet Stiles meant that something was wrong. 

“Sup dude, want to play some Halo? Oh wait, no sorry we don’t get that because Derek, douchebag galore that he is, has decided to summon our amazing and awesome presence to his new apartment downtown. And yes, you heard that right! Derek is no longer living amongst the dead in that health and safety disaster of a burned out house, but in a building that has actually passed regulation checks! Do you think this means he’ll stop being a jerk all of the time?” 

Scott couldn’t help but laugh as his friend babbled on, and decided that pulling him for nothing telling Scott that he had broken up with Danny would be pretty mean of him. He would leave it alone for now, and see what came of it later. 

“I doubt it, dude. This is Derek we’re talking about. Least I won’t have to smell the ash anymore, it hurts my nose. Don’t be too hard on the guy… his entire family did die, that’s gonna leave some scars. What’s he want this time?”

Scott moved to pick up his hoody as he spoke, glad of a break from his homework. Well, it was more like the odd bit of homework while Scott thought about his awkward talk with Isaac earlier in the day but still, homework. When Stiles answered in the negative, Scott walked with him down to Stiles jeep and the two talked for the duration of the drive to Derek’s new apartment. Well it was mostly Stiles’ babbling and Scott listening, but still. Halfway there Scott’s eye was caught by Stiles’ string around his wrist. 

It seemed to flow through the door of the jeep, as though there was nothing corporeal there. Which made no sense, since Scott had tripped over them several times so far, but Scott was not testing that theory while in a moving vehicle. He was pretty sure that he would survive, but he wasn’t so sure about Stiles. His human friend was much more fragile than Scott was. Physically, at least. Stiles’ string was also coming from the direction that Stiles’ was driving in, and Scott assumed that it was getting shorter since they were essentially following the direction that it was coming from. 

When they finally reached their destination, Stiles pulled in and gave Scott the look. The look was one that Stiles had been giving Scott for the entirety of their friendship, and in this particular case Scott knew that it meant Stiles was not looking forward to putting up with someone’s shit. On a wild hunch, Scott was going to guess that that someone was Derek. 

“About time you guys got here, Derek’s been glaring a hole in the wall and Erica’s spent the last oh twenty minutes or so flirting with Boyd also known as the not her boyfriend seeing as I’m her fucking boyfriend.”

Isaac didn’t look very happy when he walked out to meet them, and Scott resisted the urge to check the other werewolf out. Which lasted right up until Isaac turned around to guide them to Derek’s apartment which was apparently not on the first storey of the building. Scott was not staring at the other boy’s ass, not he was not. It did not matter how good it looked in those jeans, he was most definitely not staring. 

Neither Stiles or Scott were sure how to reply to Isaac’s obvious anger at how Erica was acting, and Scott silently thought of the fact that Boyd and Erica had a string connecting them, just as Isaac and Scott did. There was an awkward silence amongst the three of them as they rode the elevator up to Derek’s new apartment, Isaac silently fuming while Stiles was unsure of what to say and Scott’s attention focused elsewhere. Elsewhere being his best friend’s string leading upwards, and slowly growing shorter as they rode the elevator. 

When the door opened, Scott saw Stiles’ string leading to a door to the only apartment on the floor, Derek’s apartment. Which meant Stiles’ soul mate had to be on the other side, right? Unless the string went through the apartment just like it had Stiles’ jeep. It was possible. There was no promise of Stiles’ soul mate being on the other side of the door. 

Of course all of Scott’s alternate possibilities were proven wrong the second that Isaac slid the door of the apartment open and Scott followed Stiles string to find Derek at the end of it, wearing the scowl that seemed to be almost permanently etched upon his face. Scott couldn’t think of a more unlikely soul mate for his best friend if he tried, and so he remained silent when Derek snapped about them taking their time and so the Stiles and Derek show began. Surely his eyes were deceiving him? There was no way that Stiles and Derek were soul mates.


End file.
